Andhra Couple Arrested For Allegedly Murdering Two Daughters

The police said that the couple were found in a trance in their house, with the bodies of their daughters on Sunday

The Madanapalli police in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday arrested a couple who allegedly bludgeoned their daughters to death on Sunday night.

The police had earlier said that V Purushotam Naidu, a lecturer in a government degree college and his wife V Padmaja, a maths teacher in a private school committed these murders on Sunday, 24 January citing superstitious beliefs, and believing that they could be resurrected.

The police had said that the couple were found in a trance in their house, with the bodies of Alekya (27) and Sai Divya (22), and could not immediately be arrested. As per protocol, the duo were taken to the local government hospital for a COVID-19 test.

Officials said that they had found the body of Alekya in a puja room on the ground floor with a deep injury on her forehead while Sai Divya was found in a pool of blood in her bedroom located upstairs. The police said that both of them did not have any clothes on them.

The police said that while Purushottam Naidu appeared normal, Padmaja was behaving "abnormally". The woman allegedly refused to give her sample for the COVID-19 test, intimidating health workers who tried to do so.

Police officials who are looking into the case, on Monday claimed that it will take some time to arrive at a conclusion as the mental health of the accused needed to be ascertained.

Speaking to TNM, Madanapalli Rural Inspector K Ramesh confirmed the arrest of the duo, while stating that they will be produced before a local magistrate.

However, the officer refused to comment when asked about the condition of the accused and whether the couple were taken to a qualified psychiatrist to ascertain the same. "I'm neither an expert, nor someone authorised to speak about the condition of the accused. At this point of time, I can confirm the arrest of the both the accused under the charges of murder," the officer said.

The dual murders have sent shock waves across the country as both accused were highly qualified academically.

(This article was first published in The News Minute and has been reproduced with permission.)